Can You Get SSDI Benefits for Migraines?
You wake up in the morning to what’s become an all too familiar scenario. A throbbing temple, you feel sick to your stomach, and heaven help anyone who opens the drapes or even speaks to you. Another migraine just isn’t what you have time for today, but here you are. Do you call in sick again, or try to somehow pull yourself together to make it to the office even though you know you won’t be much use?
Migraine headaches affect 12% of the population, with three times more women than men struggling with the neurological disease. Symptoms can be debilitating and affect one’s ability to function or even get through everyday life. Severe episodes can send sufferers to bed for days at a time due to the pain. Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) can provide income to individuals with qualifying conditions, which can include suffering from migraines that prevent them from working.
What makes migraines eligible for SSDI?
The Social Security Administration lists impairments for each major body system that, when severe enough, prevent you from engaging in any “gainful activity.” When these impairments are deemed permanent, are likely to result in your death, or you’ve experienced them for a period of at least 12 months, you may meet the first qualification to receive payments under SSDI rules.
Chronic migraine symptoms may span across the different stages of an attack and can include:
- Confusion
- Difficulty speaking
- Exhaustion
- Nausea and vomiting
- Throbbing or pulsing head pain
- Vision loss
- Weakness or numbness in the face or one side of the body
These symptoms can cause depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and more. All of these make it that much more difficult to perform even the most basic daily life activities.
Although some migraine sufferers can avoid certain severe headache triggers, there are some they may not be able to avoid, such as:
- Hormonal changes in women. These cannot be predicted and may not be controlled through hormone therapy treatment.
- Stress from work. If your job is a pressure point and there isn’t a way to minimize it, your only option is to possibly seek alternate employment, which is not always a viable solution.
- Sensory stimuli like bright light, noise, or odors. Unless your job comes with an office in which you can isolate yourself, you may not be able to escape these problem spots.
- Weather changes. Unless you are Mother Nature herself, you just can’t change the weather. At most, you might be able to move somewhere else in the country, but there isn’t a guarantee that weather will be any better for your condition.
How to start applying for SSDI benefits
The Social Security Administration (SSA) uses something called a sequential evaluation process to determine your eligibility for benefits. If the SSA determines you’ve failed any step of the process, benefits will be denied – which is why it’s so important you have a qualified SSDI attorney working to get you approved.
The basic steps to the evaluation process that you must pass include:
- You’re not working or your earnings must be below the established Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) amount.
- Your physical or mental condition meets the duration requirement.
- Your medical condition meets or equals the severity of an impairment listing.
- You’re unable to do any of your past relevant work.
- You’re unable to make any adjustments in your work that would allow you to continue your employment.
Living with migraines is hard enough without the additional strain of trying to perform work you just can’t physically handle. If you’ve reached your breaking point and know that something’s got to give, the Nashville Disability attorneys at Rocky McElhaney Law Firm may be able to help by applying for benefits on your behalf. We know that your health depends on it, and that drives us to work even harder for our clients.
To schedule your free case evaluation with one of our dedicated SSDI attorneys in any of our offices conveniently located in Nashville, Hendersonville, and Knoxville, simply call 615-425-2500, or reach out to us through our contact page for legal help that makes a difference.
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